Cambridge, MA…Three physicians from Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a leading provider of primary care in the Boston area, have been appointed to the Center for Primary Care, created in 2010 by Harvard Medical School (HMS) to address the current crisis in primary care with innovative solutions.

“We are growing in leaps and bounds, underscoring the urgency of the Center’s work and the need for innovation and change in primary care,” said Russell Phillips, MD, Director of the Center for Primary Care. “The ongoing crisis in primary care demands imaginative solutions. As we work to develop and implement these solutions, we will continue to add to our growing list of programs and staff.”

Monica DeMasi, MD, a primary care physician at CHA’s Union Square Family Health center, will serve as the Center’s Student Scholar Program Leader. She will oversee all students pursuing scholarly projects in primary care, connect students and mentors with one another and with appropriate resources, assist in students’ preparation of proposals, develop related curricular materials, and create a rewarding summer and longitudinal experience for primary care scholars in medicine. Dr. DeMasi is also a clinical instructor in population medicine at HMS and a senior innovation fellow at the Center for Primary Care.

Katherine “Kathe” Miller, MD, has been named the Center’s Family Medicine Advisor. In this role, Dr. Miller will provide guidance to students considering a career in family medicine, and also create opportunities for student exposure to family medicine. She will develop sites in Boston and surrounding areas, including rural New England, for students seeking experience in family medicine for the Primary Care Clerkship or during the fourth year family medicine elective. Dr. Miller practices full-spectrum family medicine at CHA’s Windsor Street Health Center and serves as a clinical instructor in population medicine at HMS.

Somava Stout, MD, CHA’s Vice President of Patient-Centered Medical Home Development, also joins as a member of the Core Faculty of the Center for Primary Care overseeing the Leadership, Management, and Innovations Portfolio. She will develop the Center for Primary Care’s leadership, management, and innovations portfolios and work with Center leadership to develop and implement related curriculum for faculty, residents, and students. She will also convene thought leaders in education to develop a core curriculum for leadership management and innovation in primary care and create evidence-based knowledge products on innovation in primary care. In addition, Dr. Stout will serve as co-director of the Innovation Fellows Program. She is an instructor in medicine at HMS.

“We are so thrilled to have these talented leaders in health care joining the Center for Primary Care,” said Andrew Ellner, MD, Center Co-Director. “We have had the privilege of working with these professionals in the community, their clinics, and their classrooms and we are profoundly impressed with their innovative, multi-faceted ideas and commitment to addressing the nation’s healthcare crisis.”

The HMS Center for Primary Care was launched on October 28, 2010. The Center is working to transform care by embracing service, wellness, patient and community empowerment, and innovation in systems for care and training at Harvard, academic health centers, and beyond.

More information on Cambridge Health Alliance’s primary care services is available by calling the CHA Doctor Finder Service at 617-665-1305.

Cambridge Health Alliance is an integrated, award-winning health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s metro-north communities. It includes three hospital campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices, and the Cambridge Public Health Dept. CHA is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine. For more information, visit www.challiance.org.